Company
by ResurgereTento
Summary: Naruto gives a birthday present, and receives one in return. Implied NaruSasu, but just fluffly preslash.


In honour of no one's birthday! Let's pretend I wrote it on one of their birthdays though, so I don't _have_to write something when they actually roll around. :3

Just some fluffy pre-slash that's been rolling around in my head for a while, because they may not be perfect for each other but they sure as hell know each other best.

* * *

Naruto was not nervous.

Of course he wasn't nervous! He was an Uzumaki, after all. Not that he knew any other Uzumakis, but logically speaking his parents must have been the greatest _ever_ to give birth to someone as fundamentally awesome as him. Obviously. He wasn't nervous, he was just glaring. At a door.

Why the hell was he so nervous?

Stupid Sasuke-teme, he just wasn't in the mood for a fight, that's all. Well, he actually sort of was in the mood for a fight. He was always in the mood for a fight, because fights were fantastic. Like ramen. Warm and satisfying and tasty. Wait, what? Anyway, maybe he just wasn't in the mood to be called names. Or be mocked. Or be glared at in a mean and scowly manner. Or maybe he wasn't nervous! Maybe it was a jutsu. Had his milk been off that morning?

It certainly wasn't because he was worried about his black-haired teammate's reaction to his present.

_What if he laughs in my face?_

Hands hidden behind his back he shifted from one foot to the other, swallowed, and then impulsively lashed out at the door with a kick. It opened almost instantly.

"If I have to tell you one more time –" Sasuke cut himself off.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

Sasuke blinked in confusion.

Sasuke recovered first. "What do you want, moron?"

Naruto bristled. "What, I'm not allowed to visit a teammate now, asshole?"

The other boy merely raised his eyebrow which, in and of itself, only served to piss off Naruto further. He had spent _hours_ in front of a mirror trying fruitlessly to raise one eyebrow independent of the other, while here Sasuke was succeeding without any effort and showing off. Like _always._ Jerk.

"Fuck you, bastard, seriously. Would it kill you to be nice for once?"

Sasuke shifted and leant against the doorframe, arms folded. "Maybe I'm just not in the mood to deal with your idiocy today."

"Like you ever are, jerkwad." Naruto was angry but…it was the bastard's birthday. He made an explosive sort of noise in his throat, and then thrust his arms out. "Fine! Fine. Just take it, will you?"

Sasuke stared.

"Her name's Dora," Naruto supplied, helpfully.

Sasuke continued to stare.

Naruto growled. "Look, just take her, okay? She's an azalea, so part shade part sunlight, but don't put her outside 'cause the dogs'll get her so use a windowsill, right?" He was warming to his subject, smiling at the plant in his hands. "And you better water her everyday but not too much 'cause she'll drown," he redirected his grin towards the stoic boy in front of him. "But I reckon she'll bloom for you! Red and white, I thought you'd like that. Well, it'll be a sort of pink, but close enough."

Sasuke remained silent. Naruto hated silence, so he did what he usually does – filled it.

Shifting the weight of the plant to one hand, he lifted the other to rub nervously at the back of his head. "It's just…the quiet, you know? Plants are good to talk to, and they respond if you take good care of them!" He gave a little laugh and looked at his feet. "I've had Dora for ages, since I was a kid – she's a real good listener. So I thought…anyway…" he trailed off and looked up.

Sasuke's gaze had left the pot plant and was studying him carefully, eyes intent. Naruto swallowed. And then, slowly, Sasuke's hand lifted up and out, brushing against his fingers gently before taking the plant from his grasp.

Then, abruptly, Sasuke stepped back.

"See you tomorrow, dunce."

And as the door slammed shut in his face, Naruto's expression cracked into a wide grin. 

* * *

Months later, Naruto found himself staring at his own door. Or, more specifically, at his doorstep, where a blue box was blocking the path to his apartment. It had an orange ribbon. He liked it instantly, despite its door-blocking tendencies.

Bypassing the tactics employed by intelligent shinobi everywhere – ones that consisted primarily of nudging any suspicious parcels with a wary foot – Naruto picked it up and shook it. A soft thumping sound came from the box with every shake which, unfortunately, told him absolutely nothing. He grinned excitedly nonetheless, tucked the box under his arm and unlocked his front door.

Tossing his keys haphazardly to the side and kicking the door shut behind him, Naruto made his way to the kitchen table and placed the box reverently onto its surface. He didn't know who sent it – he'd been at Iruka's for his birthday dinner, and Iruka was the only one to buy him presents – and he didn't particularly care to. Presents were presents.

He tugged on the ribbon and watched it unravel, then carefully folded it and set it aside, certain he could find a use for it later. Biting down on an excited (and vaguely hysterical) giggle, he lifted the lid off the box. Blinking, he felt his eyebrows lift in surprise.

There inside the box was a stuffed bear. It was simple and brown, with a navy blue scarf tied around its neck. Studying it, Naruto realised that it had certainly seen better days – the threads that made up its nose were frayed, it was missing a button eye and the material on its stomach was worn thin. He was immediately endeared to it because of the fact, as it had obviously been well-loved.

Lifting it from the box, Naruto began to smile as he caught a closer look at the scarf – there, sewn into the end, was a miniature Uchiha fan. He tickled the bear's nose before subjecting it to further inspection. Turning it around he was amused to find 'BEAR' written in a childish scrawl on the toy's tag, sewn into its behind. He couldn't help but let out a laugh. If he had had any doubts about the bear's previous owner before, they were gone now – the simple and blunt truthfulness was something that had carried through to Sasuke's personality even now.

Glancing back to the box Naruto realised it wasn't quite empty, and then reached into it to pick up the note left inside. Bringing it to eye-level, he began to laugh in earnest at the brief message:

_Not one fucking word, usuratonkachi. _

Naruto tossed the note back into the box with a snort, before turning towards his bedroom. He was still grinning widely when he placed the bear carefully on his pillow, and he was still grinning widely when he turned and flipped his middle finger in the direction of his window.

Because they understood each other. And even without plants or bears, that was company enough.

* * *

The names – as far as I know 'Dora' isn't anything in any language, just a couple of sounds. Which makes sense for someone who tacks '–ttebayo' onto the end of every second sentence. As for 'Bear'…c'mon, you _know_ he would. :D

And yeah – the implication is that Sasuke used a bear the same way Naruto used plants (I was worried about this being out of character, but I don't think it is – everyone needs _something_ to talk to, or they'll flip – even if he doesn't use it as much now as he did when he was younger). Also, yeah, Sasuke's watching for Naruto's reaction at the end, and Naruto knows it. XD 


End file.
